Just a Little Faith (8 page)

****

Pax found herself laughing more in the next few hours than she had in the past several weeks. Seb
had a great sense of humor
once he br
oke out of his shell
.
Walking through the
expansive
locker room of Busch Stadium, he pointed out
some of his
teammates
'
lockers
,
telling her of various
pranks he'd help
ed
pull over on them
in the past season
.
From there, he
led her down the narrow hall past the coaches' offices and into the
t
raining
r
oom. To her surprise, a few people were still there
, apparently
working to get the equipment and supplies put up until it was needed next season.
One man in particular caught Seb's eye
,
and he
pulled
Pax
in
that
direction
. “Yo
,
Scott. You ready for a quiet off
-
season?”

Turning around, a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair flashed a quick smile. “Hey Seb. How'ya doing? And you know better than to think the off-season is any quieter than the regular one.”

Laughing, Seb put his arm around Pax and nodded in Scott's direction. “Scott, meet Paxson Taylor. Pax, this is Scott Turner. He's the head trainer for the team. He tries to make sure we all stay in tip-top shape all season round. If we don't, he's liable to send us to the principal's office.”

Pax extended
her hand
,
and
Scott grasped it
in a warm grip
. “It's nice to meet you Pax. Is Seb here giving you the
dime
tour?”

Deciding to get in a little bit of ribbing herself, Pax grinned.
“Well, since Seb's the one giving it, I guess it's worth more like a
nickel
.”

“I like this one
,
Seb. She's a keeper.”
Scott's smile was infectious.

“
I thought so
,
until she insulted me
.
” He squeezed her waist. “
Well, we'll get out of your way. You don't work too hard.”

“Nah. Never do
,
Seb. As long as you guys do
your part
, I can just sit on the sidelines and enjoy the sun. Nice to meet you
,
Pax. Watch out for that one. He looks innocent enough…”

“Hey… What are you trying to do
,
Scott?”

Scott's boisterous laughter echoed through the hall as they continued out of the room.

After the insider's tour of Busch Stadium, they walked to a nearby diner
with
an
all-day
breakfast menu. Over an omelet and some of the fluffiest pancakes she
'd
ever put in her mouth, Seb regaled Paxson with some of the unfortunate outings experienced with Rangy and Linc.

“
I'm
beginning to believe there is a never a dull moment when
you're
with the two of them.” Paxson smiled
hearing
the end of yet another tale.

“They
'
re my best friends. We've been playing together for over four years now which
,
in baseball terms
,
is like a lifetime. They keep me on my toes, or
,
well
,
Linc would say we keep him on his toes. When you meet them, you'll understand more what
I'm
talking about. Although, it might be easier to not introduce you to them at the same time… you might have to wear some body armor or something.”
Seb chuckled to himself at the thought.

Pax remained frozen in her seat
.
Meet his friends?
For some reason, it had never crossed her mind he might want her to get to know his friends. The thought frightened her. This thing between th
em seemed to be going…somewhere
,
and fast.

“You okay? You look like you
'
ve seen a ghost?”

“Oh… No
.” She smiled to offset his concern.

Pushing
her omelet around with her fork
,
Pax
paused
before speaking
. “
'I've
been meaning to ask you, since the season is over, will you get some opportunities to see your girls? I mean, with the holidays coming up…”

Sebastian's face darkened
,
the
empty hand
resting on the table
forming
a fist
. “
I have a second home in California
,
and
I sometimes head to the coast before Thanksgiving. On occasion
,
Melissa let
s
the girls spend the holiday weekend with me
, b
ut if it doesn't work out, I'll either stay here for the holiday or go out and spend it with my Mom and Dad
,
who
live about three hours from Melissa's. I should get to see the
girls
at least for a weekend or so over the course of December and I see them
every
Christmas Eve.”

Reaching across the table
,
Pax
enclosed her hand over his fist.
“I am sorry the holidays aren't better for you
, Seb
. I know God has blessed me with a wonderful family. I hope it will improve for you before long.”

“Yeah.
..
I can hope it might one day.”
He mov
ed
his hand to take hold of hers.
“Speaking of blessings, you mention God and blessings a lot. Your faith is pretty important to you I gather?”

Pulling her hand back to her lap, she thought she saw a moment of disappointment cross his face.
“Oh yes. It is the most important aspect of my life. My parents raised me to rely on God first and foremost
.
He will always look out for me. It doesn't mean I don't have struggles and difficulties, but in general, God has made my life a pleasant one
.
”

“Earlier you
mentioned singing
in church…three times a week? I don't think I have ever met anyone who goes that much. Why so often?”

P
leased
because
he appeared to want to know more about her faith,
Pax
also tempered
the emotion
knowing he was probably more curious than truly searching for the Truth. But she was happ
y to answer his questions
. Who knew where his queries might lead?
She
had
learned in the past to never dismiss an inquisitive mind when it came to spiritual matters.

“Well, I guess we do meet a lot. But our coming together three times a week is more of an encouragement for all of us.
O
f course,
we'
re there to worship and praise our Father, but it is almost a good boost
of ‘
You can do it!
'
to each other. It helps keep us focused on what is most important.”

He nodded.
“Your faith… is it tied in to why you don't drink? I remember you mentioned it when I first asked you out.”

“It is part of the reason. I know alcohol and strong drink
s
can mess with your mind if you let it. I made the decision long ago to not even try those things because I didn't want to chance it could control me. The Bible mentions in Proverbs ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.' My mouth gets me in enough trouble
.
I sure don't need to encourage it any
more than usual.”

Sebastian was quiet as he digested this information. “Well good for you in sticking to your faith. A lot of people aren't that dedicated. I have to admit, I was afraid at first you were a recovering alcoholic or something
,
and I was going to lead you down the path of destruction.”

Pax smiled…but part of
her
wondered
too. I
f she didn't start thinking with more of a clear mind
,
she might indeed be heading down a path
full of nothing but temptation and heartache
.

****

B
ack at the
LLS
office
, Sebastian helped Paxson out of
his
car
t
hen walked her the short distance to her
vehicle
. “Once again Ms. Taylor, you have made my evening fun. And thank you again for inviting me to go with you to see the kids. I need to do more of it in the future. You were right, it brings a lot of joy to the kids but even more so to those who visit.”

“
I'm
glad you were able to come with me. It was a fun evening, wasn't it?
”

He hesitated a moment
.
“You think
you're
free tomorrow? We could catch a movie or something?”

She smiled,
“
You know what? How about you come over to my apartment for dinner? You can be one of my first non-family guests. Tori's been over but she's like family.
” Leaning over, she put her hand to his ear and whispered
,
“
I promise
,
I won't try to poison you with my cooking.”

Sebastian
pulled back
eyes wide. “I'm being offering a home-cooked meal in the company of a lovely lady? I believe I could be persuaded to take you up on it.”

“Great! Let me write down my address on something.”
Pax dug through her purse searching for a pen and paper.
Upon f
inding them
,
she scribbled down her address.
“It's not far from here at all. How about you come over say around
six
o'clock?”

“Sounds great to me
.
Can I bring anything?”

“Nope. Just yourself. And I hope you aren't allergic to cats. I have two of them
,
although they will probably stay hidden the whole time
you're
there. They are quite literally ‘fraidy cats' in every sense.”

Sebastian couldn't
help but chuckle
. “No, I'm not allergic. My Mom had a few cats while I was growing up. I think I'll be just fine
,
and if not, you'll just have to decide
…”
he reached out and
twist
ed
a tendril of her hair between his fingers, “
…either me or the cats. Someone will have to go.” His blue eyes sparkled.

Crossing her hands across her chest, she harrumphed.
“Well, if you put it that way, the decision will be easy. I can make you a to-go plate in no time flat.”
S
mil
ing at his shocked expression
on impulse
she
leaned over
giving
him a kiss on the cheek
. Not wasting time for a response, she
hopped in her car.

“See you tomorrow at
six
o'clock, Bash.”

 

The
following
day, Pax fought to keep herself from banging her head against the steering wheel of her car
while leaving
the grocery store near her apartment complex. What in the world was she thinking? Instead of putting this relationship in reverse
,
or at least park, she seemed to have hit the gas and sped things up.

Lord,
I'm
not sure what
I'm
doing here. I know You have the answers and sometimes they are not what we expect… but in this,
I'm
just going to look to You and know You will work
it out.
Help me to gain some perspective on things Lord and to not be blinded by my attraction for Sebastian.

Thankful for
half-day Friday
s, s
he
knew she
was going to need all the time she could get in order to have everything prepared for dinner. She didn't think Seb would appreciate a protein shake or a frozen pizza for a meal.

S
he
climbed
up the steps to her modest two-bedroom apartment. Opening the door,
Pax was greeted by her two cats
swishing
their
tails
against
her ankles and
murmuring
purrs of hello. “Hi guys! I hope you've had a good day because tonight
you're
going to be at your wits
'
end
.
”
She set the groceries on the floor before t
urning
o
n the light and locking the door
.
B
en
ding
down
, she
g
a
ve
each of
her two cats, KC and Ace
,
a soft pat on the head.

She emptied the grocery bags
,
then set
about
preparing the meal she
'd
planned.
First on the list was her
m
om's famous lasagna. Everyone who tried it raved
,
so
w
ith a tossed salad and some garlic bread,
she felt dinner would be a hit.
The dessert was
more of
a gamble. She loved cheesecake and thought it would go well with the lasagna
.
B
ut
not wanting to buy a pre-made,
she
bit
the bullet
,
and attempted
to
mak
e one herself.

As she worked, her mind seemed
to
race. In only a short few days, her life had been turned upside down. She
'
d gone from
a
simple life of working, attending church and hanging with Tori to now preparing a meal for a famous athlete. If someone
had
told her a week ago what the last f
ew
days would entail
, she would have laughed in their face.

At the
soft rap on the door
, she glanced at the clock. Six on the dot, she
laughed
as
KC and Ace rush
ed toward her room
to hide under the bed.
“Silly kitties. He won't bite.”

She wiped
her hands on a kitchen towel
and
walked to the door
. She s
topp
ed
in front of the mirror
and
double-checked her appearance.
S
he'd
chosen her favorite pair of jeans and a
royal blue
sweater
that
she knew brought out her eyes.
Forgoing
shoes,
she
decided
instead to pad around in her socked feet. She hoped by seeing her in casual mode, Seb would
,
in turn
,
feel more comfortable as well.

She opened the door, again
taken away by his appearance. He
,
too
,
had gone the more casual route with his clothing, but it certainly did not take away from his attractiveness. His faded blue jeans and
red
sweatshirt seemed to only enhance his athletic build
,
and his blue eyes were as striking as ever.

“Well hello there
,
Bash
.
” He smiled at her use of the nickname.
“
I hope you brought your appetite, because I think I have enough food to feed you, Rangy, Linc and maybe even the rest of the
starting lineup
.”

Entering her apartment, he
laughed. “Don't worry about the amount of food. You might be surprised at how much I can put away if I have a mind to.”

Seb
tug
g
ed
on he
r arm
encasing her in an embrace
. “Before I forget, I want to thank you again for the invitation to dinner. I have been looking forward to this all day.”

His
warmth enveloped her
.
The slight
scent of
his
aftershave
filled her senses.
S
he stepped away from his embrace
and willed herself in
to the kitchen. “Well,
I'm
glad
you're
hungry because I just realized I forgot to eat lunch. I think tonight I could even out-eat you
.
”

H
is laughter rang in her ears.

Pointing toward the den, she opened the refrigerator door.
“Make yourself at home. And like I said last night, I seriously doubt t
he cats will make an appearance.
B
ut don't be startled by a flash of fur every now and then as they dart from hiding place to hiding place.”

G
lad
her kitchen had an open area over the counter where she could observe
him
,
she
watched as
Seb
strolled into the den, then to her
bookcase and per
used the hundreds of titles on
the shelves.

“This is quite the collection of books
.
I think you have
one from every genre of literature. You didn't tell me you were an avid reader.”

S
he tossed the ingredients for the salad in a bowl.
“My dad is a voracious reader. I didn't get his intelligence, but I inherited his love of books. Both my sisters read as much as I do. I enjoy escaping to another world
in the pages of a good novel
.”

He
pick
ed
up a picture of her parents
.
“I don't think I ever thought to ask, but what do you
r
mom and dad do? I assume they live somewhere else?”

Pax opened the cabinet
,
the
sounds of
clinking glasses and plates filled the kitchen when she p
lac
ed
them on the counter
.
“My Dad is a history and math professor at a small college back in Alabama. He was born to be a teacher. I can't imagine him in any other line of work. He loves to share his knowledge
,
and his students adore him. I think his enthusiasm for learning inspires them as well.
”

Seb glanced in her direction. “And your mom?”

“She
works part-time for a print shop doing their accounting. She enjoys the hours
,
and the work is not too difficult
,
but challenging enough to keep her mind occupied.
My parents
both work so they have money to travel as much as their schedule allows. They have been to almost every country in Europe
,
I think
.
They
are always planning their next big adventure.
Most of the time
,
they go
with
that
couple
I mentioned before,
you know
,
the ones
who live here
.
I
n fact, their being here was one of the reasons I felt comfortable moving from Alabama.”

“Do you get to see them often?
The other couple
?” Sebastian
replaced one of the books he
picked up off the shelf and proceeded to kneel down
checking
her DVD collection.

“
The Richards?
We are members of the same church over in Ellisville. I try to have lunch with them on Sundays if our schedules aren't filled.”

“It's nice you have them here. When I moved here from San Diego a few years ago, I didn't know anyone. I mean, I was casual friends with members of the opposing team, but I didn't know anyone well. I suppose Lincoln and Durango felt the same way. We all showed up around the same time and seemed to gravitate toward each other.”

Seb
astian
walked over to her
. “Can I help you with anything
?
”

“Um, sure. How about helping me set the table?”

He
pick
ed
up the dishes and glasses
off the counter
.
Pax placed the silverware and salad on the table
in the small dining room off the kitchen
.

“I believe everything is ready
,
if you want to grab those potholders and get the lasagna
out of the oven
.”

Seb
grinned and
came back
pl
ac
ing
the lasagna on the table
.
Pax
put
the warm bread next to the butter dish. She started to sit
but
felt Sebastian come behind her
,
helping her
pull out the chair.
Her mind rambled. S
uch a gentleman
,
far different from what she had
imagined when they first met
—
realiz
ing
what she took for aloofness was shyness
.
The real
Sebastian Quinn
seemed to be nothing like
the
one seen on the
baseball diamond.

Once settled at the table, he sat still
while she
bowed her head in prayer. Wh
en she finished, his eyes
were
fixed on
her. His face reddened a bit
at being caught.
Ignoring his reaction, she held out her hand.
“You want to hand me your plate?”
S
he
dish
ed
out some of the piping hot lasagna.

Besides sports, they talked politics and places he had lived throughout his career. By the time she presented the cheesecake, they had moved back to discussing his off-season regimen to keep in shape for the upcoming season.
As the conversation progressed,
Paxson imagined having Seb at her table on a more consistent basis.
The thought stirred a warmth inside her.

“That was an excellent meal. I may not need to eat for another oh…six or seven hours.
Don't tell Scott.
” He sat back in the chair
as
his hands rested on this stomach and a grin
spread
on his face.

“It will be our little secret.”

All of a sudden he perked up. “I forgot to ask. Did you hear from Jim today?”

“Yes
.
He called right before I left for the day
.
Thank you so much for agreeing to do
work with us
.”
R
each
ing
over
she
squeezed his hand
he'd moved to rest on the table.